One Night
by Sarra Alcatsol
Summary: Everything can change in One Night. Snapshots into various HP character's lives. - NEW - Draco Malfoy
1. Ginny Weasley

Chapter 1. Ginny Weasley.  
  
Ginny sat in the corner allowing the pain and sorrow she felt to flow through her. No matter how many times She went to men for comfort, she never found it. She felt the hot tears burning her cheeks and she tightened up into a small ball, pulling her legs to chest and burying her face between her knees. The silent sobs that wracked her body only tormented her wretchedness.  
  
She knew there was no cure for this heartbreak. She silently promised herself it was the last one she would ever experience.  
  
Ever.  
  
Then as the sixth year Ginny left her body to it's pain, she couldn't hear the portrait hole swing open. She wouldn't have been able to hear it anyways, the portrait always swung silently. Exactly like the blow that had come tonight. She and Dean had finally gotten back together after Ginny forgave him for his little "Lavender incident". Ginny now realized she only set herself up for a deeper, more wrenching heartbreak.  
  
On walking back to Gryffindor Tower Ginny had heard something break in a nearby classroom and she passed by. Ever curious she walked over to the door and pressed her ear against it. The noises were muffled because a very poor silencing spell had been placed on it. Ginny's brow furrowed and she reached for the knob. It was locked, but nothing a quick "Alohamora" couldn't undo. Recalling the scene that the silent swinging of the door revealed burned a hole through Ginny's ever so tender heart.  
  
Parvati Patil (with no shirt) and Dean (the same) violently knocking each other around in the abandoned classroom. Ginny wailed in pain and a fresh cascade of tears flowed forth from her puffy brown eyes.  
  
Dean watched Ginny's sorrow from the entrance of the portrait hole, unable to shake off the immense feeling of guilt and dread. He knew he had only a mater of hours to live before he had every Weasley brother hunting him down for his neck. Why did he have to love the cascading deep red hair and the soft brown eyes? He forced his legs to move one by one across the Gryffindor common room to her trembling frame.  
  
He reached out a hand to place on her shivering shoulder . . ..  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=- =-=-  
  
Ron flew up so fast from his deep slumber that he startled Harry.  
  
"Ginny!" He yelled, it echoed through the darkness in the seventh year boy's dormitory room.  
  
"Ron?" Harry asked warily as he watched his friend jump from his bed and grab his robe to throw over his maroon nightclothes. "What's going on?"  
  
Ron's blue eyes blazed with an internal flame, he said only one word.  
  
"Ginny."  
  
Harry's utter confusion did not hinder him from also jumping up and throwing on his robes. The boys flew out he door and down the many stairs to the common room, leaving behind them very confused Neville and Seamus. Their feet slammed down hard onto each step, making enough racket to wake the dead.  
  
Smaller boys heads popped out from their doors to see what was going on. Harry quickly yelled at the gathering masses to return to their beds as he blindly followed Ron. Amazingly they obeyed, very wise after the recent Hogwarts student attacks. Hey all knew that if Harry Potter was running somewhere with all that noise, You-Know-Who could very well be involved.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-=-  
  
"I don't want to hear it!" Ginny was no longer crying from sadness, but now the tears came pouring from the hot anger in her gut. "You get away from me Dean Thomas!" Then her large brown eyes grew round as she noticed what had burst from the boy's dormitory stairs.  
  
Dean noticed the change in her countenance and turned to see large knuckles slam into his skull and then, black . . . nothing . . .  
  
Ron stood there his back arched and his arms poised at his side daring the unconscious Dean to get up and fight. Ginny's hands drew up her mouth to hide her silent gasp.  
  
"Ron . . ." she breathed. Her brother stood there useless as she began to faint away. Ron only registered what she was doing when a black blur rushed past him and grabbed Ginny to keep her steady. Harry Potter held Ginny Weasley in his arms and she gripped onto him for support. Her breath was coming in ragged gulps. A little wail escaped her lips and the tears came back, Ginny buried her face into the strong shoulder filling her vision and sobbed. Ron sunk to his knees and let his arms dangle by his side, limp and seemingly lifeless,  
  
Thus was the scene Head Girl Hermione Granger walked into.  
  
She took it all in and rushed over to Ron. She dropped to her knees in front of him and looked into his blank blue eyes.  
  
"Ron." She breathed. "Is he . . . . ?"  
  
Ron's eyes were suddenly alert and ready taking in the vision of beauty before him and then moving to he heap of boy on the floor next to him.  
  
"I- I don't know . . ." he tried to push over the lump in his throat.  
  
Hermione nodded and turned to Dean, "Ennervate!' she commanded to the lifeless from who stirred from the moment with breath.  
  
All the breath rushed out of Ron as he realized he had almost killed someone over his little sister. His pale face turned to Hermione's equally pale one and she unceremoniously threw her arms around Ron's neck. He held her there and felt her body breathing living.  
  
He opened his eyes and through Hermione's hair he caught a glimpse of Harry and Ginny. Both seemingly caught between that moment of realization and ignorance of one's feelings.  
  
He smiled and squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe the night wasn't so bad.  
  
-=- End. -=- 


	2. Cedric Diggory

Chapter 2. Cedric Diggory.  
  
Cedric pulled his heavy cloak on, pulling it over his shoulders and fastening it meticulously. He couldn't get the lovely picture of Cho Chang out of his mind. Not that he really wanted to...her beautiful black hair, shimmering blue and deep... But not matter how gorgeous the picture, they just weren't helping him as he tried to concentrate on practicing for Quidditch. Even though there was no Quiditch this year... But he still found no better place to escape to than the sky.   
  
Her image pleasantly haunted his mind, her soft eyes sparkling with a smile. He sighed, but a Ravenclaw wouldn't go out with a Hufflepuff if her life depended on it. Well, a Ravenclaw might...a Slytherin probably wouldn't. Then again, Cho wasn't a Slytherin, so Cedric's heart rose in his chest, maybe he had a chance!  
  
But how could he be worrying about girls with the second task pressing in on his mind? He sighed again as he thought about the little golden egg. It was a puzzle all right...a Ravenclaw would figure it out easily...Cho was a Ravenclaw...  
  
That's all his mind seemed to be able to do lately, circle around and around Cho Chang. She was a virius, but a sweet one at that. Cedric shook his golden hair out of his eyes and mounted his broom. He pushed roughly off of the ground. His cloak flapped behind him as he took a few rounds of the Quiddtich pitch.  
  
"You want me to let it go now?" a fellow Hufflepuff Quiditch player yelled, trying to be heard by the young man soaring above his head.  
  
"Sure, anytime you're ready." He called back, trying to focus on the muggle golf ball the boy was bewtiching to fly around like a Golden Snitch. The boy nodded, pleased with his work, and released the golf ball. It dissapeared from sight instantly.  
  
"Thanks!" Cedric bellowed, the boy nodded and trooped back inside, out of the cold.  
  
-=-  
  
"OH! Look it's Cedric!" Angelina squealed, smoothing out her hair and tugging on her shirt so it showed off her figure better.  
  
Cedric didn't hear anything, he was too busy trying to make up his mind whether or not to ask Cho to the Yule Ball... He walked past Angelina and into the Great Hall for dinner.  
  
Fred Weasley huffed, "So what if it is?" He wasn't pleased lately that Cedric was getting so much attention by his female friends.  
  
Angelina smirked at him, "You're just jealous."  
  
"Of what!?" His flashed with green fire.  
  
Angelina smiled knowingly and flounced off, Fred followed after her, pestering her for an answer.  
  
Cedric plopped down at the Hufflepuff table, breathing deeply, he began collecting his meal. He didn't hear the giggles and whispers the girls were eargerly passing around behind him. Mark Brennan, a fellow Hufflepuff and friend of Cedric's sat himself down beside Cedric.  
  
"Yo Ced..." he began.  
  
Cedric didn't answer.  
  
"Cedric!?" He waved a hand in front of his friend's face.  
  
"Oh! Hey Mark," Cedric smiled at his friend. "I was off in La-La-Land."  
  
Mark chuckled, "Ah, don't worry about it, everyone has their moments. So..uh.. ya asked her yet?"  
  
Cedric sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Man! She's going to get asked by aother dude, and then what?" Mark pushed Cedric's shoulder. "Then what!?"  
  
"I don't know!" he snapped at Mark, tired of his constant badgering...  
  
"Well," Mark said matter-of-factly. "This is what'll happen if you don't ask her soon. You'll have to go to the ball with a little, probably not as nice as Cho, girl, who only wants to be on your arm because she's been convinced by all of her little friends you're hot... not that you're not one hot man..." Mark shrugged. "You know what I mean... But! That's not the worst part. The ENTIRE night of the Ball, you'll have to watch the girl you love in another man's arms, being happy....Do you REALLY want that?"  
  
Cedric shook his head, "No, of course not."  
  
"Good!"  
  
Cedric sat silent for a minute.  
  
"WELL!?" Mark yelled in his ear.  
  
"Well, I'm getting bloody tired of you!" Cedric stood up and stormed off, abandoning his dinner and friend. Mark's laughter rang in his ears all the way out of the Great Hall. He stomped through the halls, and around corners until at one corner he rammed into a girl. She almost fell over, but Cedric had a seeker's reflexes and quickly caught her.  
  
Not until she was in his arms did he see exactly who it was. Cho Chang's face was complete shock. Cedric gulped and helped her stand up, quickly withdrawing his arms from around her. Even though they ached to hold on.  
  
"I'm sorry." They both blurted.  
  
"It was my fault." they said together again.  
  
They both let out a nervous giggle.  
  
"I'm sorry, I should have been looking where I was going..." Cedric finally said, a smile growning on his face.  
  
Cho shook her head, "It's just as much my fault."  
  
They stood in silence for a few moments, when Cedric heard someone saying,  
  
"Would you go to the Yule Ball with me?" It took him a few moments to realize he'd said that...and to realize she had answered.  
  
"I'm sorry. What?" He said, listening this time.  
  
Cho smiled and nodded. "I'd love to."  
  
"Oh."  
  
-=- End. -=- 


	3. Draco Malfoy

Chapter 3. Draco Malfoy.  
  
"No, that's not it!" Crabbe said, pushing the toy back at Goyle. "Try again."  
  
Goyle moaned, "This is stupid." He yanked time after time at the little toy, trying to pull the three rings separate. Crabbe had bought this during the summer and delighted over it when he finally figured it out. His brow furrowed with concentration, but no matter how hard he tried to unweave the rings, they would stay stubbornly linked.  
  
"Hand it to me." Came a cool voice. Draco reached out his hand for the toy.  
  
Goyle ducked his head and relinquished the trinket. Draco studied the three interlooped rings. Then a smirk washed over his face. He extracted his wand from the deep folds of his uniform and gave the rings a light tap. They shone briefly and clattered to the floor. Each apart from the next.  
  
"You're not supposed to use magic." Crabbe muttered, as he gathered up his toy.  
  
"Whatever." Draco said, not really caring how the toy was supposed to be used. "Everything's better with magic... For instance."  
  
Draco waved his wand slightly, so no one would see the motion, and sat down in a deep green leather chair. He watched the floor rug intently. Crabbe and Goyle both looked at the green and black area rug, but didn't see anything. They looked at each other and back at Draco. A smirk grew on his face and he leaned calmly back into the chair.  
  
"What's-" Crabbe began.  
  
"SSSHHH." Draco hissed at him. "And both of you quit staring at the carpet, you'll give it away."  
  
"Give what away?" Goyle said, still not comprehending.  
  
"You're both idiots. Now shut up."  
  
They waited in a confused and anticipating silence for what seemed like forever, until a seventh year decided to enter the common room. Crabbe and Goyle stared bold faced at the dark-haired, slim girl. Her green eyes took them in quickly and dismissed them just as fast as just some second-year kids unable to get motivated. She passed them silently, and when her foot landed on the rug, it landed IN the rug. In fact, her leg sank in to her knee. Her emerald eyes flashed anger and surprise. Draco nearly fell from his chair he was laughing so hard. The girl's furious gaze settled ruthlessly on Draco.  
  
"Fix it," she fumed.  
  
Draco tried to calm his laughter so he could at least ask her for the "magic word", but before he could put out his witty remark there was a 11 1/2 inch ebony wand an inch from his face. The girl had released herself in mere seconds. Draco and his cronies were stunned. But, Draco didn't let that show.  
  
"Apologize." She said, not planning on taking prisoners.  
  
"I'm sorry." Draco said, actually displaying some of the emotion in his tone.  
  
"Fix it." She pointed at the still pranked rug.  
  
Draco waved his wand swiftly, "Done."  
  
"Thank you," the girl said pleasantly. She extended her hand, "Calista Black, you are?"  
  
Draco shook her hand, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Lucius's boy?"   
  
Draco nodded.  
  
Calista nodded in recognition, "Ah, should've known. Nice trick, but next time, try it on the entrance hall rug... You're bound to catch more students that way."  
  
Draco nodded again, "Thanks for the adivce."  
  
"See ya around kid."  
  
"See ya."  
  
When she was gone, somewhere up the unknown depths of the girl's dormitory, Crabbe and Goyle asked Draco why he had apologized. Draco had never apologized to someone for praking them before.  
  
Draco leaned his blonde head back into the chair, closing his eyes, "Salazar's Rules of Scheming, number 12, 'Never argue with the point of a wand.'"  
  
-=- End. -=- 


End file.
